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Happ released from hospital after liner to head

5/7/13: J.A. Happ is struck in the side of his head by Desmond Jennings' line drive and leaves the game with an injury in the second inning

By Gregor Chisholm
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MLB.com |

ST. PETERSBURG -- Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ was released from a hospital Wednesday after sustaining a head contusion and a laceration to his left ear when he was struck by a line drive during Tuesday night's game against the Rays.

The Blue Jays said earlier in the day that Happ was responsive and doing well at Bayfront Medical Center, and he was scheduled to meet the media at 5 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field. Toronto placed him on the 15-day disabled list and brought up right-hander Edgar Gonzalez from Triple-A Buffalo.

The 30-year-old Happ was conscious at the time of his departure from Tropicana Field and Blue Jays players later said he remained responsive to the medical staff while laying face down on the ground after the incident.

"From what it sounds like so far, he's in stable condition, he's conscious and that's all we know so far," Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista said Tuesday night. "We're hoping he recovers well and it doesn't get serious. There's always a chance of concussion when you hit your head like that, and we're hoping he doesn't get any symptoms like that."

The incident occurred during the second inning, when Desmond Jennings hit a scorching live drive up the middle. Happ didn't have time to react and the ball hit the side of his face as the sickening sound of impact could be heard throughout the stadium. The ball ricocheted up the right-field line and Jennings made it to third as two runs scored.

Happ immediately dropped to the ground while holding his left ear. Replays would later show that when he removed his hand, there was blood that appeared to be coming from either the left side of his face or ear.

When play eventually was suspended, the Blue Jays' medical staff was immediately joined on the field by a team of on-site medics. Happ was placed onto a stability board, his head and neck were immobilized and he was then removed from the field on a stretcher.

Many of the Blue Jays' players had a look of disbelief and shock. The same could be said for Jennings and his Rays teammates, as the crowd at Tropicana Field remained silent as the situation unfolded on the field.

"He was responsive, he was responsive and talking to the guys," Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia said. "I didn't want to go out and touch him and maybe roll him over and do something I didn't need to do. I don't have any education on that.

"So the biggest thing was, you're trying to ask him, you know he's not okay, you're trying to hear if he's talking, he was talking and then the medical people were out there right away."

It was a situation that clearly had an impact in both dugouts, as the final result of a game -- a 6-4 Blue Jays victory -- was put on the back burner for at least one night.

"Really hope for him and his family everything's well, for the Blue Jays," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "It was a really scary moment and I trust that he's going to be fine. It puts some perspective on losses, too."

There was plenty of confusion and cause for concern in the immediate aftermath of the injury. When the ball bounced into right field, neither the players nor the umpires seemed exactly sure what to do.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons and head trainer George Poulis made a couple of steps toward the mound, but stopped because the play was still live. Even the players on the field momentarily paused, but eventually continued on as two runners came around to score and Jennings ended up on third base.

That's when play was suspended and the Blue Jays medical staff sprinted onto the field alongside multiple on-site medics from Tropicana Field. Play was put on hold for 11 minutes.

"As soon as it hit him, I started praying and then instinct is that you want to run out there and try to help him, but the ball's live, guys are running home," Arencibia said. "So, I was in-between wanting to run out there, trying to stay home and as soon as [Jennings] got to third base I ran out there. By that point, there's nothing I could really do."

Happ raised his hand to the crowd just before leaving the field on the stretcher, but that only brought so much comfort to the rest of his teammates.

"That was the first thing we noticed, he moved his legs and his arms," Blue Jays designated hitter Adam Lind said. "But it's tough to even look at a positive from that situation."